ABSTRACT Mango wilt, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is one of the most important diseases affecting mango yield worldwide. Salt stress can affect host defense responses against pathogens infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of mango wilt in 2 mango cultivars submitted to salt stress. Mango plants from cultivars Tommy Atkins and Ubá, considered to be moderately resistant and resistant to mango wilt, respectively, were grown in plastic pots which contained 20 kg of washed sand and daily irrigated with 3 L of a modified Hoagland solution during 40 days before being submitted to salinization. For this process of salinization, the plants received nutrient solution containing 0, 30, 60, and 90 mmol∙L–1 of sodium chloride (NaCl) during 50 days. At the 50th day, the plants were inoculated with C. fimbriata, and disease development was evaluated at 42 days after inoculation. During this period, the plants were also submitted to salinization. After disease evaluation, the stems of plants from each treatment were collected to determine the concentrations of chlorine (Cl) and sodium (Na). Plants from the 2 cultivars showed reduced mango wilt symptoms as the NaCl doses increased from 0 to 90 mmol∙L–1. Plants submitted to the highest NaCl doses showed greater Cl and Na concentrations on the stem. In conclusion, the resistance of plants against C. fimbriata infection can be potentiated when submitted to salt stress regardless of their basal level of resistance to mango wilt.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the resistance of Botrytis cinerea to the fungicides currently used for its control in Brazil. Isolates of the fungus were collected from different strawberry-producing fields in the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo, Brazil. First, a total of 183 isolates were identified at the species level using specific primers for the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) gene. The isolates were grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing the fungicides procymidone, iprodione, and thiophanate-methyl in different concentrations: 0.0 (control), 0.1; 1.0; 10.0; 100.0 and 1,000.0 μg∙mL−1. The percentage of mycelial growth inhibition was used to determine the effective concentration of the fungicide that was able to inhibit colony growth by 50% (EC50). Approximately 25.7% of the isolates were resistant to iprodione, 53.0% were resistant to procymidone, and 93.0% were resistant to thiophanate-methyl. Moreover, crossresistance and multiple resistance were verified, with 19.7% of the isolates showing resistance to 3 fungicides simultaneously. This finding explains the ineffectiveness of fungicides application to control gray mold in strawberry fields in Brazil and highlights the need for new strategies to manage this disease in the culture.

In order to evaluate the effect of potassium silicate spray on the control of coffee leaf rust and coffee yield, an experiment was conducted during the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 growing seasons on Coffea arabica cv. Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144, in a location situated at an elevation of 850 m in Coimbra, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The treatments consisted of: 1 - potassium silicate; 2 - potassium silicate + copper hydroxide; 3 - copper hydroxide; 4 - epoxiconazole formulated with pyraclostrobin and 5 - control treatment. Six applications of potassium silicate and copper hydroxide were made twice per month from December to March of each year. Two applications of the systemic fungicide were done in December and March of each year. Potassium silicate alone or in combination with copper hydroxide was not efficient in reducing coffee leaf rust incidence and increasing yield under high incidence of coffee leaf rust.

A produção da soja pode ser afetada pela ocorrência de várias doenças. Dentre estas, a ferrugem, causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi, tem se destacado. Atualmente, novas estratégias de controle para essa doença devem ser pesquisadas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência do silicato de potássio (KSi), acibenzolar-S-metil e fungicidas no controle da ferrugem da soja. Um experimento foi conduzido em condições de campo, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, utilizando-se 10 tratamentos, com três repetições. Foi utilizada a cultivar 'Monarca' por ser suscetível à ferrugem. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: T1 - testemunha (pulverização com água); T2 - KSi (1,2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2,4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3,6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4,8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazole (125g de i.a. ha-1); T7 - cloreto de potássio (61,72g L-1); T8 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1); T9 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1) + KSi (1,2kg ha-1) e T10 - acibenzolar-S-metil (125g de i.a. ha-1). As plantas da bordadura foram inoculadas com uma suspensão de 5x10(5) uredosporos mL-1 no estádio V4 para constituírem fonte de inóculo, para as parcelas centrais. As plantas foram pulverizadas com os produtos que constituíram os tratamentos T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8 e T9 nos estádios V5, R1, R4 e R5.4 e os tratamentos T6 e T10 nos estádios R1, R4 e R5.4. As plantas foram pulverizadas com atomizador costal manual de bico cônico empregando-se um volume de calda de 200L ha-1. Foram realizadas cinco avaliações da severidade da ferrugem nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas utilizando-se uma escala diagramática variando de 0,6 a 78,5%, e os dados obtidos foram utilizados para calcular a área abaixo da curva do progresso da ferrugem (AACPF). Não houve efeito significativo das doses de KSi na AACPF e severidade máxima (Ymax) nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas, além da produtividade. Os tratamentos 8, 9 e 10 apresentaram eficiência intermediária no controle da ferrugem. O tratamento 6 foi o mais eficiente no controle da doença por resultar nos menores valores da AACPF e Ymax para os terços inferior, médio e superior, além de uma produtividade significativamente maior em relação aos demais tratamentos.

Soybean production can be affected by the occurrence of several diseases. Among them, the rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, has been outstanding. Nowadays, new strategies to control soybean rust need to be searched. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of potassium silicate (KSi), acibenzolar-S-methyl and some fungicides on the control of soybean rust. An experiment was carried out under field conditions in a randomized complete block design with 10 treatments and three replications. The cultivar 'Monarca' was used because it is susceptible to rust. The treatments used were: T1 - control (plants sprayed with water); T2 - KSi (1.2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2.4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3.6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4.8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazol (125g de a.i. ha-1); T7 - potassium cloride (61.72g L-1); T8 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1); T9 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1) + KSi (1.2kg ha-1) and T10 - acibenzolar-S-methyl (125g de a.i. ha-1). Plants from the two lateral lines were inoculated with a suspension of 5x10(5) uredospores/mL at the V4 growth stage to produce inoculum to infect plants at the two central lines. Plants were sprayed with the products that constituted the treatments T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8, and T9 at V5, R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages; and the treatments T6 and T10 at R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages. Plants were sprayed using a costal sprayer in a volume of 200L ha-1. A total of five disease severity evaluations at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy were done using a diagrammatic scale ranging from 0.6 to 78.5%. Data were used to calculate the area under rust progress curve (AURPC). There was no effect of the KSi rates on AURPC and final disease severity (Ymax) at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy. Yield was also unaffected. The treatments 8, 9, and 10 had an intermediary efficiency on rust control. The treatment 6 was the most efficient on rust control giving the lowest values for AURPC and Ymax for the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy. High values for yield were also obtained using this treatment as compared to the others.